Journal study: The elephant in the room

The elephant in the room: Picture books, philosophy for children and racism. This paper was written by Darren Chetty from the Institute of Education, University of London. The paper touches on topics of racism, whiteness, multiculturalism and diversity through the medium of picture books. An interesting read as the paper divulges into a very taboo subject when discussing picture books. There are many aspects within this paper that are of interest, however the most striking elements are regarding the topic of whiteness. An issue where most white people do not actually have to give a great deal of thought to race. The fact that a white person trying to talk or share about racism can often be perceived as difficult as they often do not truly understand many of they challenges other races have endured during times of slavery, colonisation, segregation and inequality.
This is perhaps why I might find the story of the Scots taken to Barbados so interesting. My own preconceptions about slavery have been turned on there head. If asked about slavery several months ago I imagine my first vision would have been boats full of native Africans leaving for many places over the world. However the historic story of Scottish slaves is easier for me to relate to therefore making it something I feel I can use a portrait through a picture book. Even though my actual motive is to question modern day slavery as many people believe such atrocities to be a thing of the past only written about in history books. Whether colonial slavery such as the British Empire, the Romans or Egyptians, slavery has always been. Today this issue may be more hidden but the issue still exists and is a daily struggle many people around the world must deal with. This paper has highlighted the issue of race but also how and why I might be able to relate to and want to use the story in my picture book. Some extracts from this paper are shown below.